Have you ever been unable to make a scheduled visit?

[Poi Dog]

If so, do you call the client or your office?

I am curious. Thanks.

[anticoagulationurse]

I have not ever not been able to make a scheduled visit. I have been really late for some unexpected reason or another, but never just not been able to make it. If so, I would call the patient and probably arrange another day/time myself and maybe think about calling the office. I would definitely call the office if I, myself, was not able to see them at a re-arranged time, so that someone else could!

[tewdles, RN]

If I am unable to make a scheduled visit I call the patient to arrange another visit date/time...then I advise the office.

I say check with your office, your agency may have a policy about this very thing...

[Kyasi]

Your agency would definitely have a policy on this. If you are on the schedule and don't make it for whatever reason, it could be looked at as a No Call, No Show. You would definitely not want that on your record. Plus, if something happened to the patient at the time you were supposed to be there and weren't, and your agency was not aware, you could be held liable. It should be the agencies option to contact the patient and reschedule, not yours.

I recently got a note with an employees time sheets saying she had been ill and missed 3 shifts but the 'patient didn't want services from another person'. She had time to call the patient but not the agency. We know this patient would have accepted visits from someone else. This wasn't the employees call to make.

I also know of a HHA who is being held personally liable for leaving a shift early. The patient fell, injured himself, and died after she left during the time she was supposed to be on duty. She spent 4 days in jail for patient abandonment and is being sued for negligent homicide. Bottom line, always follow your agencies policy so this sort of thing doesn't come back to bite you.

Kyasi